Cheese Pesto Lasagna Recipes

PESTO LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In large skillet over medium heat, saute onion in the olive oil until tender. Add spinach and stir. Remove from heat and stir in the pesto. In a large bowl mix ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• In a 3 quart greased baking dish, layer the noodles then the spinach mixture, followed by the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat the layers ending with noodles on top. Spread the Alfredo sauce over the top and sprinkle with parmesan.
• Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes.

PESTO LASAGNA ROLLS

Steps:

• Position an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles 1 minute longer than the package directions for al dente. The pasta should be tender enough that it will roll without cracking. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and is the consistency of a thin gravy, 6 to 8 minutes. Allow the bechamel sauce to cool slightly.
• Beat the egg in a large bowl and then stir in the ricotta, spinach, 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the pesto, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir the remaining 1/2 cup pesto into the slightly cooled bechamel sauce.
• Brush a 13- by 9- inch baking dish with oil. Spread 1/4 cup of the pesto-bechamel sauce on to the bottom of the dish.
• Lay half of the cooked lasagna noodles on a clean work surface and spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture evenly over each. Starting with a short end, roll each noodle up. As you make the rolls, transfer them to the prepared baking dish seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon the remaining pesto-bechamel sauce over the lasagna rolls and sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake until the rolls are heated through and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese is browned on top, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper, if using, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

PESTO LASAGNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter a 13 by 9 by 4 baking dish and add a thin layer of besciamella (bechamel sauce). Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, and then another thin layer of besciamella. Gently spread about 4 tablespoons pesto across the surface, and then top with about 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Repeat until you finish layering the lasagne. Top with a final layer of noodles and spread a final very thin layer besciamella, pesto, Parmesan cheese and a little butter to help the cheese crisp-up when cooked in the oven.
• Cook the lasagne for about 30 minutes. Serve dressed with some Parmesan and a drop of extra-virgin olive oil.
• Fresh Pesto: Combine the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle and pound until paste forms. Add the Parmesan cheese, Pecorino cheese, salt and pepper and stir until smooth.
• Keep the pesto in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.
• Mix the pasta and the pesto...serve garnished with some grated Parmesan (just a touch), fresh ground pepper and a sprinkle of olive oil.
• Besciamella: Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: This is an important moment, as you have to slowly toast the flour without burning it. This will help you lose the floury taste.
• Warm up the milk and gradually ladle into the pot with the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

PESTO AND PRAWN LASAGNA

Steps:

• Combine basil, cream of mushroom soup, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
• Combine spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in cottage cheese, salt, and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add oyster mushrooms and white mushrooms; cook and stir until soft, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Spread about 3 tablespoons basil puree on the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. Lay 3 lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/2 the spinach mixture evenly over the noodles. Arrange 1/2 the prawns on top. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles. Pour 1/2 the basil puree on top and cover with mushroom mixture. Cover with remaining 3 lasagna noodles.
• Top lasagna noodles evenly with remaining spinach mixture and prawns. Pour remaining basil puree on top. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until noodles are soft and sauce is bubbly, about 90 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and continue baking until mozzarella is browned, about 30 minutes.

PESTO LASAGNA

Steps:

• To prepare pesto lasagna , start with the pesto (for the complete procedure you can see our Genoese pesto recipe): first off, clean the basil leaves with a clean cloth, do not wash them with water. Then take a mortar and pound the peeled garlic together with a pinch of coarse salt: once you have a creamy mixture, add the basil leaves and another pinch of coarse salt 1 . Crush the basil by turning pestle and mortar in the opposite direction 2 . Add the pine nuts and grated cheese as you continue to crush the ingredients. Finally, add the oil 3 a little at a time, continuing to mix the ingredients well with the pestle until you obtain a homogeneous sauce. Alternatively, you can make the pesto in a blender, taking care to cool the blades in the refrigerator first and blend for the shortest possible time to prevent the basil from discoloring.
• Set the pesto aside 4 . As an alternative to the mortar, you can proceed with a blender fitted with blades for making pesto. Now proceed with the homemade pasta. Pour the sieved flour into a bowl (keep about 1/4-1/3 cup (30-40 g) to add later if needed) 5 . Add the eggs and start mixing the ingredients with a fork, incorporating the flour a little at a time 6 .
• Then knead the dough with your hands 7 for at least 10 minutes until a soft and homogeneous mixture is obtained. Shape into a loaf 8 , wrap it with plastic wrap and let it rest in a cool, dry place for about 30 minutes. Now make the béchamel sauce: heat the milk in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, then turn off the heat and add the sifted flour a little at a time 9 , stirring continuously with a whisk to prevent any lumps. Then put the butter and flour mixture back over low heat and stir until golden.
• Season the milk with nutmeg and salt, then pour it a little at a time into the butter and flour mixture 10 , stir vigorously with a whisk 11 . Cook for 5-6 minutes on a low heat and continue stirring until the sauce thickens and starts to boil. Your béchamel sauce is ready, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool down 12 .
• In the meantime, pick up the fresh dough, sprinkle it with very little 00 flour, then divide it into 2 portions; wrap in plastic the one you are not using immediately to prevent it from drying out and put the other through a pasta machine (alternatively you can roll out the dough by hand with a rolling pin), flatten the dough and pass it through the rollers of the machine, from the widest to the thinnest thickness gradually until you get a very thin sheet of dough 13 . From the sheets of dough, cut 22 rectangles measuring 4x6 inches (10x15 cm) with a smooth pastry cutter or a knife 14 . Place the sheets on a tray with flour to prevent them from sticking 15 .
• Bring a saucepan full of slightly salted water to a boil, blanch the sheets for 1 minute 16 , drain them and place them on a tray drizzling them with a little oil so they won't stick 17 . You can also quickly dip the pasta sheets in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Once the pasta is cooked, take a 12x8-inch (30x20 cm) ovenproof dish and grease the bottom with a little oil 18 .
• Spoon a layer of béchamel sauce 19 then one of pesto 20 , and lay 3 sheets of pasta on top 21 , overlapping them slightly.
• Cover with béchamel sauce 22 and pesto, taking care to distribute the sauces evenly with a spoon 23 , sprinkle with grated cheese 24 and repeat with another layer of fresh pasta sheets until the ingredients are used up (you will need 6 layers composed of 3 sheets each).
• Finish off the last layer with 4 sheets of dough arranged horizontally (25-26), then top with béchamel sauce and pesto 27 .
• Mix the sauces well to obtain a more homogeneous cream 28 and finish with a layer of grated cheese 29 . Now bake the pesto lasagna in a preheated static oven at 360°F (180°C) for 15 minutes, then continue for another 5 minutes in grill mode (if you like a softer surface, you can skip this step). Take the pesto lasagna out of the oven and let it cool slightly before taking to the table 30 !

BASIL PESTO AND RICOTTA LASAGNA

Steps:

• Add the ricotta into a bowl and pour in the milk. Add also the grated Parmigiano Reggiano and stir thoroughly until you get a smooth batter. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• Tear the mozzarella with your hands into small pieces. Also keep the basil pesto and fresh pasta sheets at hand.
• Now that all the ingredients are ready, prepare the lasagna and heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
• Start by spreading two tablespoons of ricotta on the bottom of the baking pan, then top it with a few sheets of fresh pasta to cover the entire surface of the pan.
• Cover the pasta with 3 tablespoons of ricotta and 1 tablespoon of pesto, spreading it out evenly. Then add the bite-sized mozzarella.
• Continue making 4 more layers, until you have finished all the ingredients. The last layer will be made of ricotta, pesto and mozzarella.
• Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
• Bake the lasagna for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
• You can serve the lasagna immediately, or, even better, let it cool down and serve after a few hours, or the next day, quickly reheating in a hot oven.

SUPER-FAST SPINACH, PESTO AND CHEESE LASAGNA

Steps:

• Blend ricotta and Parmesan in medium bowl. Season cheeses with salt and pepper; stir in egg. Blend spinach and pesto in another medium bowl.
• Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in prepared dish. Arrange 3 noodles side by side atop sauce. Spread 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese mixture over in thin layer. Drop 1/3 of spinach mixture over by spoonfuls. Repeat layering with sauce, noodles, ricotta cheese mixture and spinach mixture 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles and 1 cup sauce.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover lasagna with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Bake lasagna until heated through, sauce bubbles and cheese on top is melted, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes.

CHEESE & PESTO LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 350°F.
• Saute finely chopped onion in 2 Tbl. olive oil.
• Add shredded zucchinis into pan and saute until soft.
• Salt and pepper lightly.
• Add 1 cup of stock to vegetables.
• Set aside 4 oz. of mozzarella.
• Mix ricotta cheese, 8 oz. of mozzarella and eggs in a separate bowl.
• Fold 1/4 cup of basil pesto in ricotta mixture.
• Heat marina sauce in sauce pan.
• Add 1 cup of stock, and turn off heat.
• Cover bottom of 9x13 pan with tomato sauce.
• Place first layer of uncooked lasagna noodles on bottom of pan.
• Cover with thin layer of sauce.
• Layer one third of the cheese mixture, followed by one third of vegetable mixture.
• Save about 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture to dollop on top layer.
• Continue until last layer of noodles is placed.
• Cover with sauce and any remaining liquid.
• Dollop with remaining ricotta.
• Bake for 45 minutes.
• Add mozzarella and parmesan for top, and bake for 15 - 20 more minutes or until cheese is golden brown.